Posted on 05/15/2024 8:45:53 AM PDT by Red Badger
A novel warp drive concept that can function without any need for hypothesized exotic or negative forms of energy has been unveiled in a groundbreaking new study by leading propulsion researchers.
Dubbed the “Constant-Velocity Subluminal Warp Drive,” the concept, developed by physicists with the Advanced Propulsion Laboratory at the New York-based think tank Applied Physics and from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, offers a theoretical new means of propulsion for space travel that conforms to general relativity, allowing it to operate at constant subluminal speeds with no need for unphysical forms of matter outlined in past concepts.
According to their new research, the physicists propose integrating a stable shell of ordinary matter with the shift vector of a warp drive similar to the famous “Alcubierre drive” first proposed decades ago. This would allow a “warp bubble” to be achieved that will allow the movement of objects very rapidly through space within the bounds of light speed.
WARP SPEED AHEAD
In 1994, theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre initially proposed a warp drive concept in which faster-than-light travel could be effectively achieved by contracting space in front of a spacecraft and expanding it behind the vehicle, as opposed to propelling the craft through physical space using traditional means of propulsion. Under these circumstances, Alcubierre envisioned that a configurable energy-density field lower than vacuum could be generated, providing a means of space travel in alignment with Einstein’s field equations.
Three years ago, researchers with Applied Physics first reported that a warp drive requiring no exotic matter could be constructed, telling The Debrief that their design was constrained by Newtonian physics and that reports claiming it could exceed light speed were inaccurate.
“We show that a class of subluminal, spherically symmetric warp drive spacetimes, can be constructed based on the physical principles known to humanity today,” said Gianni Martire, the CEO and co-founder of Applied Physics, in a 2021 email to The Debrief.
In April, Applied Physics officially unveiled its Warp Factory analysis tool. In a statement provided to The Debrief, Dr. Christopher Helmerich, one of the co-authors of the new paper published in Classical and Quantum Gravity, said the toll “serves as a reality check for warp drive designs,” allowing researchers to analyze designs “in a comprehensive and automated manner” that allows the identification of unphysical characteristics with greater efficiency.
“This means we can steer the development of warp drive technology toward designs that can, hopefully, be built and operated in the future,” Helmerich told The Debrief in April.
Now, the team says its latest work represents a new milestone in the path toward making warp drive concepts a reality.
“This breakthrough represents the first numerical implementation of physical warp drives, made possible using the Warp Factory analysis tool developed at Applied Physics,” reads a statement on the think tank’s official website.
ALIGNING WITH THE ALCUBIERRE METRIC
In their new paper, the Applied Physics team presents what they characterize as “the first constant velocity subluminal physical warp drive solution to date that is fully consistent with the geodesic transport properties of the Alcubierre metric.” Significantly, the team’s theoretical warp drive concept can facilitate the geodesic transport of observers while satisfying several energy conditions outlined in their paper.
Above: Evaluation of energy conditions for the constant velocity Warp Shell: The direction of motion is along the +X axis, with the cross-section along the Z axis aligned at the bubble center. The minimum values observed across all reference frames are displayed. Positive values (blue) and zero values (white) are physically permissible, while negative values (red) indicate a violation. Units are in joules per cubic meter (J/m³) (Credit: Fuchs et al/DOI: 10.1088/1361-6382/ad26aa).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This solution was constructed from a stable shell of matter with a modified shift vector on its interior,” the team writes, which they say allowed the creation of a warp solution possessing positive ADM mass—a quantity that refers to the concept of mass as seen in faraway regions—noting that the Warp Factory toolkit was employed for analysis and construction of the shell.
“This exciting new result offers an important first step toward understanding what makes physical warp solutions,” the team writes, adding that the new warp drive solution they have produced “shows that a more generic constant velocity warp drive spacetime can be constructed that satisfies the energy conditions.”
Going forward, the team says they plan to explore further possibilities involving their novel solution, optimizing and improving their theoretical framework to ensure that all the physical conditions required are met. They will also focus on “the question of accelerating the drive efficiently without breaking physicality,” which represents a significant factor in current research involving prospective warp drive technologies.
While the concepts outlined in the team’s new paper pave the way toward making travel through space nearing light speed a reality, constructing such an engine is likely something that will only be feasible far in the future, as the present state of technology would not allow for such a device.
For now, the warp drive concept remains a fascinating reality only in the fictional universes of Star Trek, although some intriguing observations from over the decades could hint at the possibility that such capabilities might already exist, perhaps within the technological toolkit of other advanced civilizations whose capabilities far exceed those of humans. While such possibilities remain entirely speculative for now, the work being undertaken by Applied Physics is bringing those concepts closer to becoming a reality for humans that, one day, may be capable of carrying future crewed missions to the furthest reaches of the final frontier.
“Although this design requires significant energy, it demonstrates that warp effects can be achieved using conventional matter while adhering to known energy constraints,” the Applied Physics team says of the new warp drive solution on its website.
“Applied Physics continues to make progress as humanity embarks on the Warp Age.”
The team’s new paper by Jared Fuchs et al, entitled “Constant velocity physical warp drive solution,” was published last month in Classical and Quantum Gravity. An earlier preprint version of the paper can be read in its entirety on arXiv.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.
Ai seems to to have contradicted itself from when I asked what the temperature was in space, as it now says:
Space itself has no temperature, as it is a vacuum. However, the temperature in space can vary greatly depending on the location and the time of day. The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit, and it is designed to maintain a comfortable temperature for humans.
The ISS is equipped with a thermal control system that regulates the temperature inside the station. The system uses a combination of insulation, heating, and cooling systems to maintain a temperature range of around 20-25°C (68-77°F). This is achieved through the use of specialized insulation materials, heat exchangers, and radiators that dissipate excess heat into space.
In addition to the thermal control system, the ISS is also equipped with airlocks that allow astronauts to enter and exit the station. These airlocks are designed to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for the astronauts, and they are equipped with specialized equipment to regulate the temperature and pressure inside the station.
Overall, the combination of the thermal control system and the airlocks allows humans to survive and thrive in the space station, despite the extreme temperatures and conditions of space.
As I have always said, Ai is a garbage in garbage out app. 🤣
Somewhat entertaining, but certainly not reliable as intelligence, much like a human. But then whay should we expect. 🤣
AI will make stuff up that sounds good.
As for the temp of space... There are areas of space with a lot of energy in them. Close in to a solar primary, for example. In a vacuum, there would be no temp as there is no matter for the energy to hit and heat up.
Thinking of it this way... this is why the facing side of Mercury is 790F and the night side is -270F. With no atmo to speak of, only the areas where the energy coming off the Sun is interacting with the matter it hits.
Same for an astronaut on a space walk in Earth orbit. In sunlight, you can heat up quick... move out of it and freeze. HVAC becomes REAL important quick.
Now think about how many different physical processes can cause “heat”... Not just the nuclear reactions from a star, but gravitational effects, friction, etc...
The Voyager’s use plutonium powered RTG’s that create their own heat from the nuclear decay to generate around 400W of power each. The tech has evolved over the decades...
Good explanation. 🙂👍
You are giving AI too much credit, for it takes a thinking human to pull off making up stuff that sounds good. AI can only produce an answer if it has information it has access to, from which its algorithms can work with to formulate a response that appears to be coming from an intelligent source. The amusing thing I find about Brave Browser's AI is that it more or less says that as the last statement generated, as follows:
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts. Learn more
The learn more are links to the sources it used to generate its response. Hey at least that AI is being truthful. Many do not.
But this is one positive with regards to AI, that I appreciate as a music lover 🙂👍:
Randy Travis - Where That Came From
How Randy Travis' new song, the first after his stroke, came together with the help of AI
Turning at incredible speeds would not be a problem
/////
sounds like what space alien spaceships can do according to reports.
//
Um, you are proceeding on something called faith. With the extreme distances involved, the probability that intelligent life has contacted Earth is remote. The most likely explanation is that these encounters with Advanced Aerospace Vehicles (AAV) is extra-dimensional either by human hands (CERN, et al.) or by supernatural powers beyond our ability to perceive, powers and authorities in the second heaven.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.